Keg at home

A SouthYeasters guide

10 September 2008

Why do it?

• Bottling is a schlep

• Instant drinkabililty

• Your own tap

• No record of empties the morning after

• One more…Can be small

• Nitrogen – for the Guinness lovers

The kit

• A keg (obviously)

• The gas

• The other, eh, thingys– Regulator– Pipes– O-rings– Taps– Connectors

The minimum

Cleaning

• Hot water

• Chemicals– No bleach! Pit corrosion– Caustic Soda. Be careful!!!– Perisan, Idopher Sterilizer

Carbonation

• Forced– Faster, beware over pressurising– Differ per style

• Natural– Prime, less than for bottles– Use cylinder gas to dispense

Carbonation

• -How much carbonation is typical for different types of beer?

•     British-style ales 1.5 - 2.0,  Porter, stout 1.7 - 2.3

   Belgian ales 1.9 - 2.4,  European lagers 2.2 - 2.7

   American ales & lagers 2.2 - 2.7,  Lambic 2.4 - 2.8

   Fruit lambic 3.0 - 4.5,  German wheat beer 3.3 - 4.5

(beer carbonation information courtesy of: http://sdcollins.home.mindspring.com/index.html  )

Carbonation chart

Thanks Jeremy Wallis

• You must account for pressure loss in your system :-• Pressure restriction during flow :-

– 4/16 inch ID pipes : 22 kPa pressure drop / metre of pipe length– 3/16 inch ID pipes : 66 kPa pressure drop / metre of pipe length

• Pressure loss due to height :-– 11 kPa pressure drop per vertical metre that keg is above tap

• E.g. : Keg stored in a fridge at 8°C to dispense an ale at 2.0 litres CO2 / litre beer would need a keg pressure of 67 kPa. Therefore, to avoid dispensing foam, you would

need 3 metres of 4/16 inch pipe or 1 metre of 3/16 pipe.• E.g. Tap is 1 m above the keg : Keep the 67 kPa &

remove ½ metre of 4/16 pipe.

Why not?

• Cost

• Portability

• Ageing

Cost

• Kegs: • Regulator: R700• Cylinder (soda stream): R142 (R80

deposit)• Cylinder (Afrox)• Pipes• Connectors• Taps

Who does it?

• Christo

• Eis used to

• Franz

• Leon

• Martin

SupplierSpecialised Dispense Systems

• Cape Town Office:

River Park 77 De Waal RoadUnit 8Diep River Tel: 021-706 7472Fax: 021-705 9634Sales Enquiries: sales.ct@dispense.co.za

• Talk to: